Page 12 of Private Dancer

He must hear something in my voice the other two don’t, “Alec. Let her go.” He says, shocking all of us. “We don’t own her. We can’t control how she chooses to spend her free time.” He nods, and Alec lets go of my arm.

I race to the elevator, never looking back, knowing I will be fired tomorrow.

Ryan

“What the fuck, Ryan! How can you let her leave here like that?” Alec lunges for me, but I sidestep him, already anticipating his anger.

“While you two lovesick idiots were moping around jacking off in your office bathrooms, stressing out about our Beauty, I’ve had her investigated.”

They both open their mouths to deny my words. I put my hand up to stop them, “I’ve known the two of you long enough to know that when you spend that much time in the bathroom, you’re not actually using it for its intended purpose.”

They both drop their heads like two little boys caught stealing chocolate from a candy store.

“That still doesn’t answer why you let her leave here like that.” Jake snaps.

“Not only have I had her investigated, but I have a team of bodyguards following her every move. With how much we are paying them, they aren’t going to let anything happen to her.”

“Fine, but where is she going dressed like that?” Alec spits out.

“From the information I’ve been given, she is a waitress at a place called The Palace.”

“Doesn’t Carter own that place, too?” Jake asks, shifting his gaze to Alec for confirmation.

“Yeah, he owns it. That and almost every other nightclub in this town.” Alec snorts. “But what about Bri waitressing at The Palace? I don’t like the idea of her around all those horny guys.”

“According to my sources, starting tonight, she is going from waiting tables to dancing for customers.”

“The fuck she is!” Alec shouts, lunging for me again, but Jake holds him back before he can reach me.

“Calm down, Alec, and let Ryan finish.”

“I’ve already put a call into Carter. The only horny guys Bri is going to be dancing in front of tonight is the three of us. I’ve reserved a private room and paid for her to dance for only us tonight and every other night she is scheduled to work.”

“You’re a genius, Ryan.” Alec slaps me on the back with a smile. “Let’s go get our girl.”

eight

Bri

“You’re late, Bri.” Leslie, the club manager, says as I walk through the back door. She takes in my outfit and nods, “It’s a good thing you already changed into your costume. You have a private party requesting you in the back room.”

“What? But this is my first night dancing; I don’t have regular customers.” It’s one thing to dance on a stage with the bright light of the spotlight shining on me and blocking out the faces of the nameless men I will be dancing for. But the private rooms are different; I will be face-to-face with the nameless men instead of blocking out their faces.

“Now remember it’s up to you how far you want to go with what the guys request from you. All they have paid for is to watch you dance. Anything else you do in there is cash only and goes straight in your pocket.”

I blink at Leslie, not understanding what she is saying.

“Come on, you can’t be that innocent about what happens in the private rooms.” She raises an eyebrow, “These guys aren’t paying you just to be their Private Dancer, honey. They’re paying for the privilege of going as far as you will let them go with you.”

My heart races, and my chest tightens. I can’t do this. I thought I could, but I can’t. If it was just dancing, but not this. The thought of letting a stranger or strangers touch me makes my skin crawl.

You didn’t think that way when Alec, Jake, and Ryan touched you that first night, and they were strangers.

Leslie must sense my distress because she throws me a lifeline, “Bri, you don’t have to do this. You can go back to waitressing.” She pats my shoulder.

“I’m fine. I can do this.” I don’t add that I need more money than waitressing pays. The tips I make as a waitress are good, but nothing like I can make dancing, and if I want to do more with the guy or guys, I can earn more money.

I shiver in discussed, thinking about what the other stuff might be, but I shake it off thinking about the money I can make. Maybe enough to finally hire a private nurse for my grandmother.

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